Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-05-28
Saturday, May as, 1887.
LAND GRABBING.

Inc attempt upon the part OF the
Willamette Valley and Cascade Noun.
tain wagon company to gobble up
nearly $50, 900 acres Of the public do
main In Oregon was frustrated q day
or two ago by Secretary Lamar's posi-
tive refusal to permit the issuance Of
patents for them. II is refreshing to
learn that the head of the interior de-
partment Of the government at Wash
ington proposes to protect, to the X
tent of his power, the public lands Of
the country. The loose manner in
which that department has heretofore
been conducted has worked an ire
parable hardship to home seekers of
u country and the complaints conse-
quent upon it has at last opened the
eyes of the government and directed
its attention to the matter. The ques.
ton OF land grabbing was thoroughly
discussed In the last Congress, and cul-
minated in the passage OF I'D act which
shut out aliens from acquiring large
sections Of public lands to be held for
speculation or to be grszed by the
herds Of the foreign owners whose
profits are expended In the capitals of
European countries. Speaking Of the
acquisition Of the public domain by
foreigners, the New York Herald well
says that 1t is zone OF the most exas-
perating features in the history of
land grabbing. so that many aliens
absentees every one OF them-have
possessed themselves by speculative
hocus pocus and fraud Of large tracts
of our territory. 1t is true that Con-
gress has put a stop to the continuance
Of these criminal proceedings. but the
stable door was locked after the horse
was stolen. Look at some of the fig.
ures. A Dutch company owns 4 $780,
600 acres, an English syndicate owns
1880, 600 acres. a German syndicate
]. 000,0 600 acres. an English earl 60, 900
acres, and so on until We reach the al
most incredible amount of more than
so, 000,O 900 acres vested in aliens, who
have no interest whatever In our ms.
tutions, and who spend the large reve-
nue. from these lands abroad. There
are in the whole Of Ireland about 90.
000, 900 acres. Then il Is true that for.
eigners, perhaps hostile to Republican
principles, now hold control Of an area
between two and three times as large
rs Ireland" This proHigacy and
waste was born Of plenty. of the wish
10 get rid of the national safety. valve,
as though our heritage Of public lands,
the security Of the future, were to be
classed like the surplus of the treasury
as one of the appalling dangers Of the
time, from which any method of es-
cape that might be suggested was
worthy of adoption. The executive
head OF the Knights of Labor, Grand
Master workman Powderly, has taken
upon this topic advanced ground, and
fully sustains President Cleveland and
his officers 10 their efforts 10 forever
put a stop TO this wholesale and dam
gerous absorption Of lands intended
for American settlers. And now that
the interior department OF the govern.
ment has interposed its right arm to
prevent home corporations from I'M
lawfully appropriating the public do.
main to their uses there is well.found-
ed hope that the era Of land grabbing
by either foreign or native companies
has passed. The public lands should
now be reserved for actual settlers
Butte Miner.